Welcome to the Brooks and Williams of Caswell County, North Carolina Genealogy Blog by Ginger R. Smith.

I have been researching my family history for about 5 years now. This blog was started April 14, 2007. The purpose of this blog is to provide information on my Brooks and Williams families and related lines of Caswell, Orange, and Granville Counties, North Carolina. It started out as a research journal that I used to track my research projects, but has quickly grown into a repository of original document scans and transcripts I have retrieved from the North Carolina State Archives and shared with my readers.

The posts of this blog are organized in two different ways. On the left sidebar you will see a Genealogy list divided into Family Namesand Locations headings. Clicking on any of the surnames or locations will pull up posts pertaining to that surname or location.

If you are interested in a particular name or location, feel free to click on an entry in my Tag Cloud, found below the Genealogy list on the right side bar. Clicking on a tag will bring up all posts pertaining to that particular tag entry.

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17 Responses

What a great site! I am related to Henry Williams b 1734 in Virginia and died 1785 in Caswell Co. N.C. I am related to his son Nathan then his daughter Mary Esther Williams who married Josiah Blackman. What a treat to find the land grants and the info on Henry Williams Revolutionary War Soldier? Also the estate files of Elizabeth Williams. Was her maiden name Elizabeth Gooch Duke? Do you have any pictures? Do you know where Henry and Elizabeth are burried? Or Daniel and Ursula? Sorry for all the questions I’m just so excieted to find all this information on your wonderful site

Thank you for visiting! I would love to hear more about your Nathan and Mary Esther Williams!
I don’t know what Elizabeth’s maiden name was and unfortunately I don’t have any pictures. I’m still trying to convince my family of the Williams connection. I don’t know where Henry and Elizabeth or Daniel and Ursula are buried either. Feel free to email me directly at grs3275 at yahoo dot com. Hope to hear from you soon!
Ginger

I’m researching for my broth-in-law, whose mother was a descendent from Enoch Godwin in NC. I’d lvoe to have a copy of the info in your word article, etc for those records. I do live in NW Arkansas, so if I can look up anything for you, let me know.

Ginger,
I think I am a decendant of the 1734 Henry Williams too. He had a son also named Henry that was born between 1777-1780 in NC. That Henry was the father of Moses Williams, father to James Williams, father to Ira Williams, father to Ellis Williams my dad. We live in Indiana. When I look for the 1777 Henry, I don’t find much info. He was married to a Nancy McBride also from NC. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
Kenny Williams

Hi Kenny, thanks for visiting. I believe I might have some information on your Henry Williams (Jr). Do you know if he stayed in North Carolina or did he move to another state? Also have you participated in any DNA studies? Please feel free to email me directly at grs3275 at yahoo dot com. I would love to hear from you!
Ginger

Ginger: Thanks for such an informative site. I am researching my Williams ancestors from Caswell County (I’m trying to find documentation proving a connection between Bennett Williams in Sampson County in 1840 and Bennett Williams in Person County in 1790 – so far, no luck). I appreciate the detail of your blog and the specifics about where you found specific bits of information.

Hi Jim, you are welcome. I have so much information and trying really hard to get it on this blog. Thanks so much for reading and good luck trying to prove your connection. Using land deeds is always a great resource in tracking an ancestor’s migration!

Kudos to you Ginger! Nice job on the family research! I have gotten interested in the family roots again through a cousin who is writing a book on the Camp side of the family and it includes our Williams side
as she and I have the same Camp great grandmother. My great grandmother was married to Robert James Williams of Swainsboro, Emanuel county Ga. His father was Stephen M. (Monroe or Miles) Williams. Stephen, his brothers Fredrick S.and James T. moved to Bryan county Ga. around 1864-66. Stephen and Fredrick are buried in the Wright/Williams cemetary in Bulloch county near Bryan county.I hope to find the cemetary.
There is a bit of confusion in tracing Col James Williams for some of our family in that we do not know how many times Col James may have been married or if Cousins married or in laws remarried. The DAR papers can not be located for the moment……..so the treasure hunt has started. Keep up the great work and I’ll be in touch.
Rip Williams0asis@pineland.net that’s a zero in 0asis
Summertown, Ga

Hi Ginger, I have just gotten started on my mother’s Wm’s from Edgecombe County, NC. The #1 most popular name in the county is Williams! Let the fun began. My mother’s father was Robert Lee Wms(1888-1969) his father was John Henry Wms(?)m.Telassie(Kerney?)1865-1914, his father on marrige bond Edgecombe Co is Robert Williams then brick wall. Most of his family is buried at Upper Town Creek Primitive Baptist Church but I have not been able to find where John Henry is buried and where his dad came from. Family stories(aunt,99 yrs,) say we are related to Wms from Warren County, NC, haven’t found any evidence. Love you blog.

hi ive been researching my roots and found out my great great grandfather was james hayes willams.he lived around Henderson nc which I believe then was Granville co.where I get stumped is hes African American though very light in skin color maybe mixed.after reading your blog I cant help but wonder if theres a connection with the willams you refered to?

Hi Jeff, thanks for reading my blog and for leaving and comment and telling me about your great great grandfather James Hayes Williams. My Williams family lived in Granville County in the mid 1750s. At that time, it was not unusual for planters or farmers to have slaves. Often, the slaves were given the names of their owners, so it is entirely possible that your ancestors and mine were connected by who they worked for or in some instances, who they had relations with as it was also not uncommon for owners to take their slaves as their mistresses.

I have a pretty good record of what slaves were passed down through the generations of my Williams family, so if you can give me more information about your ggf’s ancestors, I would be happy to look through my records to see if his family fit in with mine anywhere. But my ancestor moved to Caswell Co around 1760 so I might not be able to help you.

Ginger, I found your work on the Brooks and Williams families of Caswell County. You helped me fill some holes in my sketch. I also have a new update on the Williams genealogy that a cousin published but I only have had a chance to take a quick look. More of a winter time activity for me. Soon I will be heading to North Carolina to visit the area and sites like the monument to Brig Gen. James Henderson Williams , who was killed at the Battle of Kings Mountain. Try to get more people involved in the Williams Surname Y-DNA project. That really helps in backing up the paper trail. Take care and stay in touch,
Scott Williams,
Florissant, Missouri

Hi Ginger, I’ve enjoyed reading your blog. I’m a decendent of Henry Williams, his daughter Jane Williams who married David Rice Gooch. I just joined the DAR through David Gooch’s father William Gooch. I’m trying to get Henry Williams as a Patriot. He doesn’t have to be in the military to be a Patriot, any contribution to the Revolution works. My question now is: I have an ancestor James William Williams b. 1783, NC, d. 1865 in Davidson Co., TN. married Elizabeth Gray. I don’t know his parents. Any relations? Thank you, Laura